just don’t take humor that seriously. Yeah, it makes us happier, but its effects are much, much more profound than you might guess. People who use humor to cope with stress have better immune systems, reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, experience less pain during dental work and live longer. Surgery patients who watched comedies needed 60% less pain medication. Heck, even anticipating humor has been shown to reduce stress. Humor improves your relationships. Surveys say it’s the second…
u’re authentic, humble, kind, and smart. You put your head down and work hard. And it is officially driving you nowhere with a full tank of gas. Meanwhile, the vile Decepticon in the next cubicle who has far more ambition and confidence than brains or work ethic is getting promoted. Apparently there has been an error in the records department at the universe’s Ministry of Fairness. Don’t hold your breath while waiting for karmic retribution. When it comes to the…
gotiation is everywhere in our lives – we just don’t realize it. Dealing with bosses, spouses, kids -- so often it’s a veiled negotiation. High prices and low salaries are often a tax on the inability to cut a deal well. Problem is, some of us really don’t like negotiating. We equate the word with “zero-sum Thunderdome battle to the death.” And in our personal lives we’re afraid of being too pushy and alienating loved ones. It doesn’t have to…
ying to help someone change can be sanity-straining. Even when people face serious health scares they often don’t do enough to alter their habits, like they’re stuck on some monorail track of doom. That said, we often go about trying to help in all the wrong ways. We know that lectures probably don’t help -- but we often find ourselves doing it anyway. It’s like the reasons we give them for changing have almost no effect at all… And, actually,…
How are you feeling? These days it seems like there are only two answers: "Fine" and "Busy." After all, if you did say everything that's on your mind, you'd get strange looks from that barista for the rest of your life. And it's no better at work, where the room for legitimate…
elationships are important. Like, more-important-than-Vitamin-C important. Scurvy is no fun but a lack of relationships might kill you faster. From The Relationship Cure: A study of people living in Alameda County, California, for example, showed that people who had close friendships and marriages lived longer than those who didn’t. This…
hat makes a team effective? Is it trust? Cooperation? "Chemistry"? You have no idea. Don't worry -- neither did I. Kinda terrifying, isn't it? We're all part of friendships, work teams, and families and we don't really know what builds trust, unity, or makes a group effective. Luckily, one very…
motional Intelligence. Another "it" theory of the moment. The media's panacea of the week. Another great thing we all need -- that nobody seems to be able to clearly define. I swear I'm going to do a book of psychology buzzword mad libs ("My mindful grit is emotionally intelligent due…
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